Skimming the bottom of NBA rosters for Bulls talk

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Aug 20, 2007 11:20 AM CDT in News

Interesting article from DraftExpress today (begrudging handshake to Fanhouse for the find), showing that despite what Danny Ainge may be percieving, there are plenty of players left on the Free Agent market that aren't collecting social security.

Some (current and former) Bulls bits to be found:

12 unrestricted who agents who should be extremely likely to sign with someone as long as they are willing to sign for a reasonable price: (James Posey, Ruben Patterson, Troy Hudson, Earl Boykins, Dikembe Mutombo, P.J. Brown, Chris Webber, Marc Jackson, Brian Skinner, Adonal Foyle, Melvin Ely)

9 players who have established themselves as legit rotation guys and should be able to find a spot for themselves somewhere (Devin Brown, Derek Anderson, Malik Allen, Dahntay Jones, Jeff McInnis, Corliss Williamson, Calvin Booth, Dale Davis, Jumaine Jones)

28 players off the NBA's free agent list who are severely on the fringe and might want to either start taking those calls from agents like Mario Scotti and Nick Lotsos offering big money from European teams, or if they are washed up, retire: Keith McLeod, Michael Olowakandi, Alan Anderson, Andre Barrett, Esteban Batista, James White, Hassan Adams, Zarko Cabarkapa, Mike Sweetney, Mike Wilks, Junior Harrington, Rafael Araujo, Michael Ruffin, Rawle Marshall, Slava Medvedenko, Jamal Sampson, Dwayne Jones, Aaron Mckie, Cliff Robinson, Bo Outlaw, Alan Henderson, Jalen Rose, Vitaly Potapenko, Danny Fortson, Jake Tsakalidis, Kevin Willis, Kelvin Cato and Darrick Martin.

Once again, Mike Sweetney gets shortchanged. And my post about his qualifying offer becomes even less relevant. What an outrage!

But the 'big' news from this article:

#49 pick Aaron Gray can rest easy knowing that he got an unprecedented two year fully guaranteed contract from Chicago despite being selected near the tail end of the draft. Andre Barrett, Thomas Gardner and Justin Cage will fight it out for Chicago's last roster spot.

(That's the kind of roster battle where everyone loses. I'd rather sign a grizzled vet (not a Grizzlies vet, that's different) to the minimum)

2-years fully guaranteed for Aaron Gray? Well, they gave 3 years to Adrian Griffin, so...what the hell. The benefit to a 2 year deal is that the club then gets some cap leeway after Gray becomes a 'low post scoring threat who commands a double team and frees up our jumpshooters and solves world hunger' over the next two years, and then needs big money.

Update: Also relevant to the end-of-bench situation, according to Sham Sports (no primary source named, and thus My Man Sam wins again), big Marty Andy Vicious is about to sign in Spain.

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Michael Olowakandi

While I understand he's on this list for a reason, this guy had huge potential once upon a time. I somehow can't imagine that Aaron Gray is going to be more productive than Olowakandi would be.

-- Happiness is watching Detroit lose.

by Jimslam on Aug 20, 2007 11:37 AM CDT 0 recs

yikes

I'm not sure if you're being too hopeful or too negative. The Kandi Man is really, really bad at basketball, and it's a (relatively) safe bet Mike Sweetney produces more than Gray or Olowokandi next season.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 11:50 AM CDT up 0 recs

throw Malik Allen

in the will-be-more-productive-than-Olowokandi-or-Gray pile too.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 11:52 AM CDT up 0 recs

production's the key

Kandi has no '#1 pick potential' anymore. He's going to be 32 this coming season, so if it hadn't happened yet (or 7 years ago) it never will.

And wow, the worst part about his career that even with unrealized potential at his 'peak', he still had a downward spiral in production afterwards.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Aug 20, 2007 11:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

The saddest

The saddest part about that Kandi link is the NBA earnings bit. Even that crap he called basketball earned him nearly $37mil. If he invested properly he's still set for life.

by CubFan81 on Aug 20, 2007 1:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Cut the guy some slack

He was close to averaging a double-double in at least 2 seasons, something that Kwame Brown has yet to do.

As for Gray, a tip-in or two per game would be fine. That will be more than what Sweetney and Marty would have contributed last season. The problem with the Bulls frontcourt is that it is loaded with mediocre players which may make for a deep frontcourt but not an explosive one.

by Kantut on Aug 20, 2007 2:14 PM CDT up 0 recs

and one of those

seasons (an entire 36 game season) it took him 38 MPG to nearly get a double-double. Kwame's per minute stats suggest he could be just as mediocre if given the minutes. Olowokandi has managed to play at league average efficiency before, but he's been awful in the small amount of games he's played the last 2 seasons. Let's not forget he's a giant slug on the court too.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 2:24 PM CDT up 0 recs

sweetney had a bad season

but he still scored when he played.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 2:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Garbage points don't count

They're almost as bad as steroid homeruns.

by Kantut on Aug 20, 2007 2:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

home run is two words

A spell checker would be a performance enhancer I guess. It's not like Gray is going to be seeing non-garbage minutes.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 2:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

Typo

Gray is going to see more quality minutes than Sweets because a hefty seven-footer will always be more effective in guarding Shaq than an overweight 6-8 PF.

by Kantut on Aug 20, 2007 2:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

really?

An even smaller guy was just fine last season. Sweetney has played 'quality' minutes in the past, and performed well (he's even adequately guarded Shaq!). Conditioning is his problem, not ability and production.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 3:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Mike, is that you?

Sweets, you ruled G-time before but now it's the Gray era.

by Kantut on Aug 20, 2007 3:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

I'm just stating the facts

Gray is an unproven, second round pick, and Sweetney played well before the buffet got the best of him.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 3:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

Didn't Shaq score 69 on him?

"If you're not going to compete, then I'll dominate you." MJ

by Rankdog on Aug 21, 2007 1:00 AM CDT up 0 recs

uh no

by hscs on Aug 21, 2007 9:02 AM CDT up 0 recs

I intially thought your comment was right,

but when I looked at their actual stats I realized Kandi was alot worse than even Kwame Brown. Brown at least has been able to flirt with being league average. The Kandi man has never even come close to being league average.

by Scotter on Aug 20, 2007 2:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

Fight for last roster spot

I hope justin cage gets the last spot, but I have a feeling that andre barret will get it. In case duhon is traded and curry doesnt turn out to be so promising, they can always turn to barret to play 5 minutes a game. Andre Barret kind of sounds foreign though, and we have enough foreigner on our team. Nocioni, Deng, Sefolasha, hinrich even sounds german or something. I rather have justin cage. He sounds like a promising player who can play defense.
Maybe one day, the NBA would have to institute a foreigner limit like some of the european leagues.

by Sambossanova on Aug 20, 2007 11:40 AM CDT 0 recs

maybe a comment limit too

what are babbling about?

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Aug 20, 2007 11:47 AM CDT up 0 recs

::sigh::

what are *you babbling about.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Aug 20, 2007 11:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

sure

Anyone have any favorites to make the last roster spot. I would like Cage to get the last spot on the roster as opposed to andre.

by Sambossanova on Aug 20, 2007 12:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

I sincerely hope

Whoever he is, he never suits up. If this Bulls team needs its 15th man, then we probably just got sat on by Eddy Curry or something.

That said, I think we should try out their towel-waving skills, maybe Joakim could demonstrate.

Get that out of Tyrus' House!!!!

by cubbybear on Aug 20, 2007 2:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

WTF

"If you're not going to compete, then I'll dominate you." MJ

by Rankdog on Aug 21, 2007 1:02 AM CDT up 0 recs

But I Want To Know What Love Is

This choice is Urgent, and I'm Waiting For A Girl Like You (or Andre Barret, or some other Agent Provocateur) . . .

by jpx7 on Aug 21, 2007 4:18 AM CDT up 0 recs

PaxJax is getting old and soft

A few months ago this comment would have touched off a firestorm of politically correctness motivated vitriol and dissection. Or maybe it's just too stupid to comment on, in which case, I shouldn't have either.

Pushing comments to the right for a while now!!!-------------------->

by bullshooter on Aug 21, 2007 8:55 AM CDT up 0 recs

meh

sam likes his unknown foreigners (or maybe he just likes foreigner). other basketball leagues do have roster limits, and the cba (china) even has limits on minutes played by non-chinese players. i think sam was joking.

by hscs on Aug 21, 2007 9:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

I think you've turned a corner

Giving somebody the benefit of the doubt for making a joke is a big step. :P

Pushing comments to the right for a while now!!!-------------------->

by bullshooter on Aug 21, 2007 9:52 AM CDT up 0 recs

Free agents of interest

Danny forston is still on the market?!?! He's a headcase but a solid rotation player. POtapenko and kato are also alright players. Corliss Williamson is a really good undersized Pf. too bad we already have one though because he plays more down low.

by Sambossanova on Aug 20, 2007 11:45 AM CDT 0 recs

I hope that

in two years all you Aaron Gray doubters are eating your words.

by sue369 on Aug 20, 2007 12:48 PM CDT 0 recs

I'm not a doubter

I'm content to be hopeful that he can contribute off the bench, but it's doubtful he'll ever be as productive as Sweetney once was. A poor man's Sweetney (pre 06-07) seems like a best case scenario for him.

by hscs on Aug 20, 2007 12:55 PM CDT up 0 recs

They're totally different

Unless of course a giant bangs Aaron Gray with a mallet until he is downright landscape proportions, he is a center, and Sweetney is a short PF.

IMHO, Gray will have a career similar to a poor-man's Mihm(who is already a poor man's Nene, who is a poor man's Joel Prybilla, who is a very poor man's Robert Parish, etc etc etc). I think down the line he might even be faithful to his wife(i.e. being OUT of the NBA).

He will rebound just because he's so close to the ball already, and baskets might happen once in a while, if they lose him by the rim.

You can't teach size. At least vertical size. And he has it. At the very least, he will increase the average height of this team, and make the team picture look less like the 70s Celtics.

Get that out of Tyrus' House!!!!

by cubbybear on Aug 20, 2007 2:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

A richman's Shawn Bradley?

"If you're not going to compete, then I'll dominate you." MJ

by Rankdog on Aug 21, 2007 1:04 AM CDT up 0 recs

However

You're right on the comparison of production, but as a center he doesn't really need to produce(vis-a-vis Kandi Man).

Get that out of Tyrus' House!!!!

by cubbybear on Aug 20, 2007 2:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

Just funny to me...

Maybe it's just me, but anyone find it funny that a guy with the last name Cage is fighting for something.

by CubFan81 on Aug 20, 2007 1:16 PM CDT 0 recs

There will be a joke about his brother Johnny

one day. When I'm feeling dorkier than usual.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Aug 21, 2007 9:35 AM CDT up 0 recs

Why not Adonal Foyle?

He's a solid defender who can block shots. Obviously he can't score, but for a vet-minimum, I think he would fit in with this team.

by nateroth on Aug 20, 2007 3:35 PM CDT 0 recs

bc hes a well read international player?

by milesgmsu on Aug 20, 2007 9:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

International?

Foyle played high school ball for Hamilton in upstate NY. He was in the same class D division as my high school(Oneida High school). (Yes I have met him in person) He went to a college near by named Colgate (Ivy league). He did not come from the Euroleague.

"If you're not going to compete, then I'll dominate you." MJ

by Rankdog on Aug 21, 2007 1:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

Colgate is not in the Ivy League

It is, however, a toothpaste, which the University of Pennsylvania is not.

No more trades!

by preverbal on Aug 21, 2007 8:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

It's a "Hidden Ivy"

Whatever that means.

The Ivy League is nothing more than an athletic association, anyways; as far as undergraduate education is concerned, I'd rather be at the University of Chicago any day of the week (and I am - five days a week).

by jpx7 on Aug 21, 2007 10:11 PM CDT up 0 recs

I was confusing Colgate with Cornell

Cornell is south of Colgate and is an Ivy League school.

"If you're not going to compete, then I'll dominate you." MJ

by Rankdog on Aug 25, 2007 3:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

but he is from

st Vincent and the grenadines, which being a different nation, does qualify him as international (even if he did just gain us citizenship....put my comment a month back)

by milesgmsu on Aug 26, 2007 3:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

Shan

in other places mentioned an article not in English that he found.

And Sham's pretty reliable about the information he posts.

by KT on Aug 20, 2007 3:54 PM CDT 0 recs

Ruben

Is there any chance the Bulls can pick up Ruben Patterson? He was productive with Milwaukee last year, and would be able to come into the game and frustrate LeBron, Tayshaun Prince, Paul Pierce and possibly even Dwayne Wade. I realize he's a head case and a rapist, so he's a bit of a wild card, but I see him filling a role we don't currently have.

If it's not a possibility, I apologize. I haven't been paying much attention since the draft...

Deng 4 MVP, 2008!

by corey williams corey benjamin on Aug 20, 2007 4:49 PM CDT 0 recs